Eleusine indica for food and medicine

Zikry Hamizan Md Zakri and Monica Suleiman and Ng, Shean Yeaw and Zainab Ngaini and Salahaudin Maili and Fatimah Salim (2021) Eleusine indica for food and medicine. Journal of Agrobiotechnology, 12. pp. 68-87. ISSN 2180-1983

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Abstract

Eleusine indica, a perennial herb that belongs to the Poaceae family, is locally known as “rumput sambau”. The species can be found in the tropical regions and it is the only species of Eleusine in Malaysia. In India, some parts of the plant such as the roots and the seeds are used as food and can be eaten raw or cooked. The young seedling is also used as a side dish with rice, while the seeds are sometimes used as a famine food. Although this grass is not considered as food in Malaysia, the local people utilise it to treat various ailments such as hastening the placenta delivery after childbirth, pain relieve for vaginal bleeding, asthma, fever, urinary infection, haemorrhoids, and tonic for flu related symptoms. Due to wide spectrum of traditional usage, a complete review of E. indica which focusing on food and medicinal perspectives is necessary to organize and evaluate its potential for further studies and commercial exploitation. The information on the species was collected from scientific journals, books, and reports searched through available databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Directory of Open Access Journals, Science Direct, Bioline International, and Reaxys. Contextually, the present review reveals that apart from the roots, the plant is relatively safe to ingest. It represents a rich source of nutrients and contains therapeutic phytochemicals such as flavonoids, steroids, essential oils, cardiac glycosides, coumarins, fatty acids, anthraquinones, anthrones, triterpenes, tannins, and alkaloids. Thus, E. indica can be considered as a natural reservoir for both food and medicine.

Item Type:	Article
Keyword:	Goosegrass , Nutritious food , Bioactive compounds , Ethnomedicinal uses , Pharmacological effects
Subjects:	R Medicine > RM Therapeutics. Pharmacology > RM1-950 Therapeutics. Pharmacology > RM214-258 Diet therapy. Dietary cookbooks R Medicine > RV Botanic, Thomsonian, and eclectic medicine > RV1-431 Botanic, Thomsonian, and eclectic medicine
Department:	INSTITUTE > Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation
Depositing User:	SAFRUDIN BIN DARUN -
Date Deposited:	24 Mar 2022 14:25
Last Modified:	24 Mar 2022 14:25
URI:	https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/32010

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